The Truth About Suboxone!

Up until a few weeks ago she had been living in her car.

Strung out on meth and heroin.  Doing whatever she had to do to afford her next hit.

But she was ready to change.  Ready to make life better.

The way out of hell is one step at a time.

Medication is not recovery.

I’ve said this before.  I’ll say it again

Recovery is deep work.

Recovery is the inner reach.  The pull.  The push.  The rhythm of life.

Recovery is tough.

But you’re tougher.

So let’s talk medication.

When people talk about medication assistance, they’re normally talking about buprenorphine.  Better known as Suboxone or Subutex or Sublocade.  These medicines help with opiate addiction.

Medication assistance helps you start the recovery process without the unending urge to use and without severe withdrawals.

Seems like a no brainer.

Medication assistance works.

But believe or not, there are a lot of people that frown on medication use.

So why all the hate?

Because nothing is as simple as it seems.

Some people think that taking a medication for opiate addiction and withdrawal is cheating.  They like to say that you’re not really sober if  you’re on medication assistance. Well…. that’s ridiculous.

Taking medication appropriately and for the right reasons is not cheating.

And again…..Recovery isn’t what’s happening with the medication.  Recovery is what’s happening in your life.  It’s prayer, meditation, counseling, achieving goals.

Recovery is you carving out a new start.  And trust me, this is much more difficult than it would seem.

But I’m supposed to be talking about medication and not recovery.   So let’s get back to that.

Another reason people complain about Suboxone: it is difficult to stop.  You can have withdrawal from buprenorphine.  And some people claim the withdrawals from it are more severe than withdrawals from heroin.

If it’s that difficult to stop, then it begs the question…..

Are you just trading one addiction for another?

And the answer is simple.

No.

There is a HUGE difference between dependence on buprenorphine and addiction to heroin.  Having withdrawal from a medicine is not the same as being addicted to it.  You aren’t trading one addiction for another.

Addiction is the inability to stop using a drug even when it’s destroying your life physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Dependence is when your body adapts to a medication in a way that if you stop the medicine, you have withdrawal.

If you’re taking Suboxone as prescribed and for the reasons intended, then you’re not addicted to it.  Even if you develop physical dependence to it, it’s not the same as being addicted to it.

Treatment with Suboxone or Subutex allows you to have the time and energy to put your life back together.  And once you’re ready, you can start to taper off medication assistance.

Here’s what my patients have found to be the key to a successful Suboxone taper: low and slow.

What I mean is reduce the dose slightly and stabilize on that new dose for a month or two or even three.  However long it takes to feel stable.  Then you can take another small step down.  Rinse and repeat.

Tapering off Suboxone may seem difficult but it’s not impossible.  It just takes patience, a plan, and the ability to adjust to life’s circumstances.

The truth about Suboxone is this: It saves lives.

Not because it’s a miracle drug.  But because it gives people the time to recover.  And recovery is what it’s all about.

As for my homeless, heroin addict friend…

She was able to get into an inpatient treatment facility.   She was treated with Suboxone to prevent severe withdrawal and started intensive counseling.  Now she’s out of treatment, off medication assistance, and makes her recovery meetings a priority.  She’s getting her life back together.  One step at a time.

Now go out there and do something amazing with your life.

p.s.

This is not medical advice.  Just information and entertainment.  Talk to your doctor about what’s best for you.

p.p.s.

If you are searching for meaning in life, I wrote a book just for you.